A Message from the Commissioner

In June, it was great to see the community interacting and meeting with the Premier and Ministers during Country Cabinet and raising their concerns with the State’s key decision makers.

The announcement by Qantas, that they will be running direct flights to the Island from Adelaide and Melbourne from December, brings many opportunities for local businesses.

I will continue to support businesses, in association with Tourism KI and our other industry associations, to take advantage of the opportunities that increased visitation presents, particularly through the work of the Transformation Project.

Kangaroo Island will have quite a presence in Adelaide over the coming months with the Island to Inland exhibition, a KI dinner at InterContinental Adelaide, SALA at the National Wine Centre, and a month-long KI featured menu at La Boca Bar and Grill. Read on for more information on these exciting events!

May marked two years since my appointment as Commissioner and I was pleased to provide an overview of my activities through a newsletter Two Years On delivered to Island residents in June.

I look forward to continuing many more exciting activities as the year progresses and encourage you to contact my office if you have any matters you would like to raise with me.

Wendy CampanaCommissioner for Kangaroo Island

News

Country Cabinet

The State’s key decision makers visited Kangaroo Island at the beginning of June, for Country Cabinet.

We welcomed the Premier, Cabinet Ministers and Chief Executives of State Government Departments to the island, in order for them to hear from our community about the issues that are important to them. Several public events were held providing the opportunity for Ministers to meet with residents and community members.

During their visit, a suite of initiatives was announced for the Island, such as:

Following Country Cabinet, up to $50,000 was available through the Fund My Idea grant program across Kangaroo Island and the Fleurieu Peninsula. All accepted projects will be published on the YourSAy website on Monday 17 July 2017 with voting open until 7 August.

Meeting Kangaroo Island's Young People

The Office of the Commissioner for Kangaroo Island (OCKI) recently had the chance to meet with some of the Island’s young people. Working with the Youth Affairs Council of South Australia (YACSA). Wendy and Cate visited the Kingscote campus of the Kangaroo Island Community Education and met with students from the Kingscote, Parndana and Penneshaw campuses.

Students were invited to fill in a survey with some of the key issues then workshopped with the senior year students. The findings from this consultation are available in the Young People in Kangaroo Island Consultation Report. OCKI will continue to work with KI’s young people over the coming year to develop solutions to some of the issues identified.

First Meeting of the Arts Committee

A group of Kangaroo Island artists and arts organisations came together last month for the inaugural meeting of the KI Arts Committee. The Committee was established by the Commissioner following recent work with the Island’s visual arts community.

Developed over the course of two years, these compelling and challenging works respond to themes of isolation, the island’s unique history and the rugged, natural beauty in which the artists are immersed on a daily basis. Find out more about the exhibition here.

A blog by Kathie Stove also tracks the development of art for this exhibition.

This exhibition will be touring regional South Australia until 2019 so make sure you visit Flinders University City Gallery before 3 September.

Review of the Act

As set out in Section 20 of the Commissioner for Kangaroo Island Act (2014) (the Act) the Parliament’s Environment, Resources and Development (ERD) Committee must conduct a review of the operation of the Act after two years of operation.

The Committee began this review in June and written submissions were accepted during this period. On Wednesday 12 July 2017 the Committee visited the Island to receive oral submissions regarding the operation of the Act. Late submissions on the operation of the Act can be made until mid-August. For more information contact ERD Committee Executive Officer, Philip Frensham on 8237 9387 or by email.

A Report will be published by the Committee on the findings of the review in the coming months.

The Local Advisory Board for Housing will be considering the findings of this report at their next meeting.

Media Liaison Extended

OCKI's Media Liaison, Barbara Sibley, has been extended in her role until June 2018. Barbara promotes Kangaroo island - its people, products and experiences - through South Australian media and beyond.

Over the last year, Barbara has produced and / or facilitated 48 articles for The Island, 24 articles in the Advertiser, and recently, a five-page spread promoting the Island in The Age (Victoria), which carried the messages of 29 local businesses.

If you have a good news story that promotes the achievements of individuals or businesses on Kangaroo Island, please contact the Office of the Commissioner for Kangaroo Island.

Events

Taste of Kangaroo Island Degustation - InterContinental Adelaide

Wednesday 19 July 2017

InterContinental Adelaide is showcasing Kangaroo Island produce on Wednesday 19 July. The Riverside Restaurant is providing a six-course degustation menu featuring honey, cheese, seafood, lamb and marron all produced on the island.

The menu will be paired with Kangaroo Island gin, beer, cider and wine. Tickets are $159 per person and can be purchased by contacting the InterContinental Adelaide on 8238 2400.

Following this event, the InterContinental will feature Kangaroo Island wines on its lists for the coming year.

This event is an initiative of the KI Transformation Project – Beverages. This project is jointly funded by Primary Industries and Regions South Australia, the Department of State Development and the Commissioner’s Office and is being undertaken in close collaboration with the Kangaroo Island Food and Wine Association (KIFWA) and Tourism KI.

La Boca

August 2017

Kangaroo Island produce will also feature at another North Terrace location, with the Stamford Plaza's

A series of feature events will also be held at La Boca during the month.

How Do We Love Thee? Let Us Count The Ways... KI - The Intertidal Zone

4 - 27 August 2017

Presented by Fine Art KI for the South Australian Living Artists (SALA) Festival 2017

Some of Kangaroo Island’s finest art will feature at the National Wine Centre in Adelaide next month for the exhibition How Do We Love Thee? Let Us Count The Ways… KI – The Intertidal Zone. From 4 – 27 August 2017, 90 selected Island artworks can be viewed on the theme ‘The Intertidal Zone’ for the 20th SALA Festival.

Projects

Transformation Project

90 Day Business Planning and Coaching Program

In early May, 26 participants from 15 businesses / organisations participated in Stage 1 of a 90 Business Planning and Coaching program. This Program is being delivered as part of the Transformation Project.

A training day was conducted by Ransgroup Facilitator, Phil Ransome, with support from Amanda Wood. Individual coaching sessions will take place with each business to assist in further business direction and a 90-day action plan will be developed by each business or team.

Project Fundamentals

A Project Fundamentals Training Course was delivered by TAFE SA in June as part of the Transformation Project. 19 participants from 12 KI businesses / organisations participated in the training which provided foundation skills in project management and project delivery.

Digital Marketing Training

Registrations are open for training to develop and activate a Digital Marketing Plan. This four month program will support businesses to improve their ability to market their products and experiences online and is also part of the Transformation Project. This course is $300 per business and expressions of interest can be emailed to sue@songfront.com.

Local Food Production

OCKI is undertaking a project to determine the demand by a sample of hotels, resorts, cafes and tourism operators for fresh packaged foods, which could be produced on the Island. It will then look at the capacity of KI's food producers to meet this demand by exploring their produciton capability for current and new food products.

Agriculture KI is working closely with OCKI on this project, which is being undertaken by the South Australian Centre for Economic Studies.

Kangaroo Island Developments

Kangaroo Island has approximately $171 million of projects planned or approved over the next five years. Up-to-date information on these developments and their assessment status is available on the OCKI website.

Development Status: Kangaroo Island Plantation Timber is proposing the development of a deep-water wharf and facilities to accommodate bulk-shipping services to export timber and other Kangaroo Island produce directly from the Island. It is proposed that this become a multi-user facility on Kangaroo Island, which will open avenues for freight transport.

Development Status: Major Development – Declaration on 16 February 2017

Progress: The Guidelines for the Environmental Impact Statement were released on 5 July 2017 and are available here.

Local Advisory Boards

Native Vegetation Management

The Native Vegetation Management Local Advisory Board has held several meetings and site visits on Kangaroo Island over the last few months, which has resulted in the production of a comprehensive list of issues relevant to KI.

The Board was fortunate to be joined by members of the Native Vegetation Council in May, which helped to shed light on the application of the new Native Vegetation Regulations. These regulations came into effect at the beginning of July 2017 and seek to simplify the existing processes. More information on the changes can be accessed here.

The Commissioner has recently written to relevant government agencies (including the local Council) to clarify the issues raised by the Board that relate to land management practices, roadside vegetation, scattered trees, significant environmental benefits and the conservation of threatened species. The Board’s appointment has been extended until October 2017 and earlier this year was established under the Act.

Economic Growth

The Local Advisory Board for Economic Growth had the opportunity to hear from the developers of KI’s proposed and approved projects in June to help determine the flow-on opportunities for businesses and industry groups.